New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-28
AMERICA EXPOSED.
Mr.. GREG GIVES US PIECE OF HIS MINI


Mr.. Percy Greg. the author OF several novels, mas
rsceptly added TO his works of fiction History OF
tie United States" which deserves place among
TIE cufosite, OF literature The frat qualification
for wriier of history Is desire to tell the truth
Mr. Greg Is not controlled by any such impulse.
We do not mean TO accuse him OF conscious inten-
ton to falsfy. A passionate and prejudiced man Is
often unaware of his own purposes. and even when
Nj. Greg is iistorting, suppressing and misinier-
preting facts MISC tiug authorities and propound-
ing his individual fancos the truths oil history
he may delule himself with the notion that DIS
motives are strictly respectable us SO ieasa"S
ana easy whom We are trying to persuade manhipu
to share our aniipatbles and hatreds. 10 DeheVo
that We are moved only by stern love OF trutn'
Among the many remarkable points Oh MI ofes'
hook potbipg il more striking than the accuracy
with which he defines bis own faults ana the
yehemenee with which he denOunces them-oniy no
never suspects that they are MS. lie mVe'ehS
AGAINST tina rancorous personal judgments, the reck-
less craftsmanship, the dishonest manging OF testi
mony common in other writer's and bids us take
notice that he is no such offender :" In so DONG
Ia avs. al have consciously invited as severe a
trial of my own work. The moral responsibility OF
the historian seems to me rs grave as that OF the
Judge" Surely there never was writer more
oblivious of his own mot,s and more ignorant OF
his own qualifications In footnote, referring TO
DIR. Won HolsPs History of the Constitution"
MIR Greg says: "This writer's language 10 abusive
hs-estimates of men and motives One-Slded MS dis
tortcn of constitutional law and political principle
rnonstrous. Most of bis vouminous work
reads as a contemr orary party pamphlet That is
an exact characterization of Mr. Percy Ureg TIC
has published trade in one thousand octave pages
10 crafty his detestation of everything American
except negro slavery and the Shareholders re-
h. L.,ca n ,,uN in mi
amounts to scnrrlity; and although no processes
TO make use Of American authorities, he black
guards them whenever they Will not serve MS turn,
and accuses them of craftsmanship and fraud. de
declares that IN his First and Second BOOKS DIS
version Of facts agrees with that OF Bancroft ana
Pallrey or that where it differs he gives his
authority This statement is singularly incorrect.
His aversion of facts" Is that Inspired by his own
bad temper. and where he differs from the standard
hstorians-as he does in the entire spirit OF his
narrative-he rarely has anything better to appeal
to than his suspicious, ceDsorious and arrogant
disposition. Finding in Bancroft statement
which he does not like but cannot answer, that on
the surrender of Charleston in 1850 Sir Henry
Clinton misrepresented the number OF prisoners
that fell into bis hands, he kicks the distinguished
American histo. ian aside with this remark: ut
will be needless in future to quote or refute the
allie cations and invectives OF an experienced
dplomatist AMI historian, who never learned that
British officers and gentlemen of station and repute
like Cinton's do not le.' In spite of The coarse
ness of this insult to of his betters, there is
something droll in Mr. Gregs assumption that the
report of British military officer tabove a certain
rank is tue final historical authority never to he
questioned. There is an equally droll exhibition of
British bumptousness in the second volume, where
difference rather than discrepancy is Indicated
between General Grants account of the capture OF
Jackson, Miss, aud that of Colonel Fremantle, and
= the risin. generation are consequently warned
that they should study Grants and Sherman's
memoirs with the distrust suggested by the fact
that in the one case where Grants story can be
confronted with that of an experienced English
military eve witness, il stands convicted of essen
tai misrepresentation" For he IS an Englishman,
and be himself has said 1T
As Mr.. Greg has made no original researches in
connection with his subject, but has drawn his mar
rative partly from his inner consciousness aud
partly from books which are in everybody's hands.
we need not be at the pains of pointing out his
specific miss.atements, beginning with the discov-
cry of America, which he assigns to the wrong
year. and continuing with increasing frequency to
the close of the Rcbellion we shall content our
selves with few examples OF his treatment OF I'M
portant topics illustrations OF the perverse
temper in which he has executed his whole task.
He nowhere gives any intelligent account of the
rise of the spirit of independence in the colonies
the real nature of the popular grievances. He
treats the Revolution purely as REASONABLE and
silegal" outbreak, wantonly ana fraudulently
brought about by few demagogues like John
Hancock and the Adamses for their selfish ad.
vantage lie gives these leaders DO credit for sim
CERTIFY and discover nowhere In his pages the
recognition of such a virtue as patriotism on the
American side. When the traitor" Dr. Joseph
IN he mi mt
of the march to Concord, he preferred his party
sympathies to the obligations OF law and honor"
and he ought to have suffered under the we'll
known rule that residents in district occupied
by the enemys forces, If found in arms or detected
in acts of hostility are properly shot or hanged, as
assassns not soldiers" Arnoil's treason, on the
other hand ne treats with extreme tenderness ad-
hitting, indeed, that chivalrous gentleman would
not have done what he did. but pleading that I'M
happily Arnold belonged to the class Of New
England officers who were not gentlemen That
they were not gentlemen is a fault which Mr.. Greg
finds with great many of the patriots. The OK
ecu!ion OF Major Andre a murder, forced on the
court-martal by the vindictiveness and rancor of
Washington aud by the anxiety OF the American
commander to protect himse II against the censures
of Congress for trusting Arnold. As if 1t were not
bad enough to ascribe this veness to Washington,
Mr.. Greg furthermore proceeds to build upon the
airy basis OF a gratuitous conjecture OF his own
demonstration that Washington through spy who
pretended to be in Arnods service. deliberately en-
trapped Audre into the actions afterward made
reasons for hanging him. SO that Washington vas
actually privy to Arnolds treason! Mr.. Greg can
SEQ no merit in washington's military campaigns,
no proof OF capacity in the generalship which, with
shifting half-armed aud ilfed groups OF unframed
mlitiamen, continually ba6ied regular British
regiments under the best British commanders
Bunker Hill was disgraceful rout; the brilliant
recovery Of the South by Greene whom Mr. Greg
cannot forgive for having been blaoksmith) was
o series of American defeats Burgoyne would not
have surrendered at Saratoga had he not Ibeen out
numbered-as if there were credit in the general
ship which masses numbers where they are
wanted; aud CORVALLIS would not have been
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